I gave a talk yesterday at Universidad Nacional Santiago Antunez de Mayolo in Huaraz. It was a really excellent experience. I had originally planned on doing some exploring during the day before the bus trip, I realized that it would be better to travel to Huaraz during the daytime. For one, it feels like it would be safer. And, as I had remembered from 2007, the views ascending the Cordillera Negra are amazing.
The Cordillera Negra is a patchwork of greens, browns, and tans that represent myriad small agricultural fields that are quilted into the countryside. It seems that wherever people have found a sowable area on the steep mountainsides they've carved out a little rectangle for potatoes, wheat, or hearty-looking leafy greens.
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| Patches of fields, eucalyptus trees, and aloe plants of the Cordillera Negra |
I spent a brief period in Huaraz in 2007 and I still remember the moment of crossing the Cordillera Negra into the Callejon de Huaylas as one of the most amazing views I'd seen in my life. As you begin to descend into the Callejon de Huaylas, you first see the Cordillera Blanca, with its snowy peaks, on the other side of the Callejon. The Cordillera Blanca is Peru's highest mountain range, home to Huascaran, the highest point in Peru and the highest mountain in all of the Tropics. At 6768m (22,205') Huascaran is the fourth highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Alongside Huascaran are the peaks of Huandoy and Alpomayo. ... Huaraz itself is no slouch, at 3000m (10,000') it's about twice as high as Denver, CO.
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| With the Cordillera Negra in foreground and Huaraz city in shadow at center right, the Cordillera Negra is bathed in clouds in the background. |
The talk at UNASAM was really quite successful. It's always a little scary to give an academic talk at a new institution. Even more so when the institution is in a foreign country, and in a part of the foreign country that is self-styled as being very different culturally. Huaraz is a largely Quechua-speaking area, and many of the students at UNASAM are bilingual in Quechua and Spanish; many of them are primarily Quechua speakers. On top of all that, who am I - a gringo - to tell learned Peruvians about the archaeology of Peru and what it might mean to local Peruvians?!
By all accounts, though, it was a successful presentation. I explained that, in my experience, the past and present are inextricably intertwined; accordingly, archaeology and ethnography are inextricable elements of my archaeological practice. In my research at El Purgatorio, I found that "the past" - as manifested in archaeological materials - was ever-present for the people living nearby, for the archaeological remains provided both a source of meaning and a potential barrier to permanent residence in their village. As both an ethnographer and an archaeologist, I worked as best as I could to discern and attend to the needs of the people living near El Purgatorio while also completing a serious and successful archaeological excavation. As an archaeologist - a practitioner of archaeology in the present - I did my best to use my expertise in knowledge to provide those living near El Purgatorio with the information they needed to manage the issues surrounding their proximity to an archaeological site (as a foreigner, I could not physically help them with many of these issues). This explanation seemed to be well-received by the audience, which included students and professors.
The students were particularly impressive in their engagement with the issues. They agreed that archaeological projects are more than excavation; rather, they should have a social development side to them as well. After all, archaeology is one of the social sciences. Why shouldn't it have a direct-impact social dimension? This question - and an affirmative response to it - has guided much of my research and publication (see for example, "Archaeology is More Than Stones and Bones"), research influenced by both Dr. Melissa Vogel and Dr. Alan Kolata.
My friend and colleague, Lic. Jorge Gamboa, accompanied me for the entire day, right up until the bus left for Casma. Jorge is writing a really interesting book on the uncontrolled and rapid urban expansion of Trujillo, Peru. As we waited together for my bus to leave, Jorge thanked me for coming. I could only respond by explaining that it was for me to thank him. "How many people have the opportunity to come and give a talk, by invitation, to the unique and beautiful city of Huaraz, Peru?" I asked. In this case, I recognize that I'm exoticizing Huaraz a little. It's a very different place than most of the places that I haunt. But that's also what makes it so special and it's what makes the opportunity to exchange ideas with the students and faculty of UNASAM so rich.
Jorge explained that most of the students at UNASAM are from the 'popular class.' Many are native Quechua speakers, and I imagine most are first-generation college students. It was also explained that when most think 'archaeologist' they think 'gringo.' I believe that the audience yesterday, with their enthusiasm and engagement, will quickly change those standards, and bring a new and vibrant generation to archaeology.
As I rode the bus back down the Cordillera Negra toward Casma, I snapped a picture of the sunset over the distant desert plains. The Cordillera Negra is just as beautiful at night as it is in the daytime.
With sincere thanks and enthusiastic encouragement to the students and faculty at UNASAM including Lic. Jorge Gamboa, Dr. Germán Yenque, Dr. César Serna Lamas, y Dra. Sonia Huemura.
Gracias!
Attachments:
Pacifico c Gamboa V. - 2014 - Investigaciones Antropologicas en Casma: Arqueologia, Etnografia, Comunidad y Desarollo
Pacifico - 2008 - Archaeology is More Than Stones and Bones
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